Dolly Parton welcomes fans to her museum with special video message

Dolly Parton addressed fans from beyond the grave for the opening of the new museum about her life.

The country music superstar, who died last month at the age of 80, pre-recorded a video message welcoming visitors to the attraction in Nashville, Tennessee.

In the video she says: “Hi, everybody. It’s Dolly, and I am so proud to invite you to my Life of Many Colours Museum, opening right here in the heart of Nashville at my Song Teller Hotel.

“This museum will be the largest exhibit of my life and career, filled with the stories, songs, and memories I’ve carried.

“It includes all of the things that have helped this little girl’s dream come true, and I can’t wait to share it with you.”

Dolly’s Life of Many Colours Museum says it will allow guests to relive Parton’s story “from rags to rhinestones, from Hollywood to Dollywood and from initial country music stardom to global acclaim”.

It adds: “Sing along and dream big with Dolly inside this museum experience as vibrant as the icon herself.”

The museum opened as planned despite the death of the singer, who had been privately battling cancer.

Parton’s death sparked tributes from around the world and, last week, Give Like Dolly Day was launched to encourage people to support children’s reading in her honour.

The event took place for the first time on Friday, after it was set up by the Dollywood Foundation UK, and will now take place annually on September 25.

September 25 has previously been referred to as Dolly Parton Day in reference to her hit song 9 To 5.

The public are encouraged to donate to their local Imagination Library programmes in the UK, or to help to bring a programme to their community if one does not exist, and share their work on social media.

The singer founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in honour of her father, who could not read or write.

It began in her home county in East Tennessee in the US and has expanded across the US and into the UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland.

The programmes aim to ensure children from birth to age five can receive a free, high-quality book mailed directly to their home each month.